Duro Spiritus
by cynicalshoes
Summary: Episode tag for The Defiant One. It can't be as easy as 'Just disarm this superadvanced shield'. John and Rodney have some troubles finding the off button.


Duro Spiritus

PG13 / T (For language and themes)

Episode tag for The Defiant One. It can't be as easy as "Just disarm this super-advanced shield." John and Rodney have some troubles finding the off button.

I don't own Stargate Atlantis or any of these characters. Besides, as long as I have them back in time for supper, no one will notice. Also, not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.

A/N: I'm still getting used to the rating system, and I was just struck by how big a maturity difference there is between 9 and 13. Enjoy.

---

_"We'll have to put the ship back together, provided you can disarm the shield."_

_"Fine. As long as we get to go home."_

_"You can drive."_

_"Oh, thank you!"_

---

"Actually, I was just kidding," John said with a smirk.

Rodney stared at him for a moment, narrowed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. He stalked off towards the Jumper, still muttering.

John laughed to himself, then put his uninjured hand to his eyes, searching the sky for the speck that could be a first aid kit in a flying metal box. A yell from his left brought his attention back to the Jumper.

"Oh and McKay? Watch out for the shield," He drawled, seeing the scientist sprawled on the ground where he himself had fallen earlier.

"How kind of you -" Rodney huffed, getting awkwardly to his feet, "- to tell me about that."

"All in a day's work," John said lightly, turning away from the agitated man again. Rodney glared at his back for a moment, then sighed in defeat and turned back to the Jumper. He stood silent for a minute, then turned to the major again.

"Well?" He asked, oddly calm.

"Well what?" He snapped. Cracked ribs did not make for a high level of patience.

"The shield," Rodney explained, waving his hand vaguely in the direction of the Jumper's open hatch.

"What about it?" John snarled, whirling around.

"Turn it off!" Rodney yelled, his temper flying back to him.

"I already told you! I can't!" The Major yelled back, taking a few steps towards McKay.

"And why not!" Rodney answered, voice getting progressively louder. "Surely your high-and-mighty ATA gene can turn off a simple shield!"

"I can't," John repeated, "Because I didn't turn the damn thing on in the first place! Super-wraith took a remote and activated the shield!"

Rodney stared up at him for a moment, mouth open in disbelief. "Need I remind you Major," Rodney started off, his voice quiet again and oddly threatening. "That we brought _two_ remotes. One, you're telling me is currently scattered all over the sand in one hundred thousand little pieces." He gestured to the blast site, before returning his attention back to the man in front of him. He continued, getting louder again, "And the other, _you_ were supposed to be looking after. Are you telling me now that you _lost_ it?"

"What I'm telling you, McKay," Sheppard growled. "Is that I had a few other things to worry about at the time that seemed a little more important." He took a threatening step closer. The effect seemed lost on McKay. "Besides, there are more than two remotes in Atlantis."

"Fortunately _Major_, the Ancients weren't stupid enough to design an universal remote. Those two were the only ones that work for this Jumper." McKay stated smugly, even considering their current situation.

"You're kidding," John said in disbelief, his anger with the scientist only momentarily lost.

"No, I'm not Major. And, as unlikely as it sounds, I cannot rebuild something from dust." Rodney snapped, fueling John's anger with him.

"I don't need this from you!" He yelled, now standing about a foot in front of McKay, his arms were folded in defiance.

"Oh, I'm sorry Major," Rodney answered with false sincerity. "Would you like me to find you a new space bimbo of the week to make it up to you?"

"I'm serious McKay. I really don't need this!" He yelled, temper finally boiling over. He planted his hands, however awkwardly, on Rodney's chest and pushed him backwards.

Surprise etched across Rodney's face, followed quickly by pain as he fell, full-force, into the the still-active shield.

Unlike before, he was trapped in the sparking blue surface for a moment, before crumpling bonelessly to the ground at John's feet.

"McKay!" John yelled, quickly recovering from his bout of anger. He crouched at Rodney's side, carefully rolling him onto his back and pulling him a few feet away, alarmed by how hot his skin and clothes were. "McKay!" He yelled again, first checking his pulse and then shaking his shoulders.

He unsnapped Rodney's vest, trying to help him breath easier. He was rewarded by a low grown from the scientist, and laughed when a wince flitted across his face. He heard Rodney say something, and leaned in closer to catch whatever it was.

"What was that, McKay?" He asked.

Rodney cleared his throat. "I said, _Salaud_." He explained tiredly.

John laughed again, a little less humor in it this time. "Shit, McKay, God, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, yeah," Rodney replied. "I'm sure you loved it." He said, struggling to sit up. Sheppard held a hand behind his back supporting him.

McKay, having accomplished this feat, dropped his head forward, leaning heavily on John's hand. John peered at him with one eyebrow raised in concern, until helping McKay to his feet at the command.

Rodney wobbled on his feet for a moment, before shaking his head. John put a steadying hand on his shoulder, and watched as McKay stared into the Jumper.

Rodney shrugged John's hand off and took a step forward, careful to avoid the shield's barrier. John watched from behind for a minute, before taking a few quiet steps backwards and reaching up to swat his radio.

"Ford." He called. "What's your status?"

" 'Fraid we're going to be a little longer Major. We need to slow down to enter the atmosphere. The computer says it's too thin to enter safely at this speed. We're still at least four-zero minutes out."

"Not too much of a problem Lieutenant. But we're currently without water or first aid supplies at the moment, so don't bother picking me up anything on the way."

"What happened sir?"

"Ah, we got locked out of the Jumper." Sheppard said calmly. "Both remotes are... out of commission."

"And McKay hasn't fixed them yet?" Ford joked.

Sheppard paused, glancing at Rodney. "Naw, I'm giving him some time off."

"Right sir." Ford answered. "Be there in three-nine minutes. Ford out."

John walked back over to McKay again, flopping down on to the sand a few feet away from the Jumper. "Hey McKay," He called, mock-patting the sand next to him. "Pull up some sand."

Rodney turned around and eyed him sceptically. Sheppard was lying in the sand, hands behind his head. "I'm fine Major. Think I got something here." He turned back to the Jumper and began to pace in front of the shield, eying it curiously. He stopped on the left side, where the shield came very close to the door, and crouched down. Suddenly, he threw his right arm into the shield.

"Rodney!" The major yelled, sitting up quickly as McKay was thrown onto his back again.

"Yes Major?" He asked, wincing yet seemingly unperturbed. He sat up on his knees, shaking out his arm, watching in fascination as it trembled slightly when he held it up in front of his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" John asked, wondering guiltily if the second shock had done something to his head.

"Fixing it." Rodney answered simply. He continued, knowing without turning his head that John had his eyebrows raised and was about to say something sarcastic. "If I can reach that," He pointed to what looked (to John) like a mixed pile of Earth and Ancient tech-junk sitting near the edge of one of the benches. Rodney went on. "I can rewire the shield."

John stared at his back for a minute, before falling to his sarcastic temptations. "Oh. Well, as long as you're electrocuting yourself for a good reason, go on."

Rodney whipped his head around, and glared half-heartedly at the Major. "Would you care to try?" He asked.

"No thanks," John answered lightly. "I'm fine."

Rodney turned back to the Jumper. "Smartass," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

John stayed sitting up at he watched Rodney roll his sleeves up for another try. Rodney let out a deep breath and plunged his left arm into the shield. His fingers managed to latch onto the corner of the device and pulled it towards him a few centimeters before he was again thrown backwards. Again, he sat back up and tried again.

John watched in concern as the energy shook McKay's body. John stood up, and walked over to sit just behind and to the right of Rodney. This time, when McKay fell backwards, John managed to support him before he hit the ground.

"Thank you," he heard Rodney mumble after he had got his bearings again, most of the usual gruffness this statement would bring missing. "I'm close." He stated, trying to reassure both of them. "Just a few more."

---

Ten minutes later, Rodney was lying on his stomach, poking and prodding the innards of the interface he had pulled out of the Jumper. He was leaning heavily on his elbows, trying to keep his hands as still as possible, using two pocket knives to work. John was sitting in the sand by his side.

John heard a whooshing sound and looked up at the ship. The shield flashed and splintered apart in front of them. John looked down again to see Rodney push the interface away and drop his head into the sand.

"Nice work," John said, patting his shoulder lightly. He stood up and stuck an arm into the open hatch cautiously. Nothing happened, and he took a few more tentative steps inside. Supplies from the cargo bays were scattered every where. He spotted the first aid kit and some of the water and moved them to the end of one of benches. He began to haphazardly pile the rest of the supplies into piles and various boxes and shelves.

When he had cleared a fair amount of space, he stuck his head out to check on McKay. He was still lying face-down in the sand, unmoving.

John walked back over to stand in front of him. "Hey Rodney, got some space cleared in the Jumper. C'mon, the shade will be better." He knelt down and shook one of Rodney's shoulders. Rodney groaned and mumbled something indiscernible. John ignored whatever it was and grabbed one of Rodney's wrists, heaving him up to his knees. Rodney managed to get up the rest of the way on his own, much to John's relief, and staggered slowly into the Jumper with John right behind him.

John flopped down on one of the benches he had cleared. Rodney, ignoring the space on the other, fell ungracefully to the floor again. He leaned up against the side of the bench, and let his head drop backwards onto the soft material of the seat.

John eyed him curiously. Each time he threw himself into the shield, he had stayed down a little longer. Each time it took longer to shake the feeling back into his fingertips. Even with him alternating arms after each try. They were currently laying numb in his lap, quivering. Occasionally, one of his fingers would twitch, and a wince would flash across his face.

John looked to his own arm, where blood and sand encrusted the field bandage. He sighed and grabbed the first aid kit, pulling out a clean field dressing and something to clean the wound.

Several minutes later, John was on the verge of falling asleep in the back of the Jumper, when he heard familiar voices calling him. He opened his eyes to see the ceiling of the Jumper, remembering where he was. He listened again for the voices, and heard Ford's near by.

"Lieutenant!" He called, his voice scratchy from his dry throat. He lifted his good arm and waved it over his head for emphasis. It flopped back down to his side a moment later, and he turned his head to look at McKay, who hadn't said a word since he dropped himself to the floor. He was still in the same position as before, with his legs stretched out, arms in his lap and head leaning backwards.

John heard Ford and Teyla stop in the entrance of the Jumper, taking in the mess and the two seemingly incapacitated men inside. John stretch his neck backwards, peering at the two of them upside-down. "Good of you to come," He said jokingly. "Where's the caravan?"

"Little ways away, sir," Ford answered.

"What happened?" Teyla asked, hands on her hips as she regarded the two of them.

"Remember that whole 'hibernating Wraith don't show up on the LSDs?' Well, we ran into that again. Abrams and Gaul's bodies are still in the Wraith ship." He finished off solemnly, sitting up properly now.

"I see you are injured Major," Teyla stated, her voice scolding. She moved her attention away from the Major and knelt down in front of Rodney. "Dr. McKay? Are you alright?" Rodney didn't answer out loud, but nodded his head slowly once.

Both Teyla and Ford looked to John. He sighed. "Superman here decided to take on the shield the Wraith had set up all by himself. Threw himself into the damn thing a few dozen times to get that computer out, then he actually managed to turn it off." 'A few dozen' might have been an exaggeration perhaps, but this time it seemed fitting.

Teyla smiled and Ford whistled jokingly. "Nice one doc. But I thought the No-Naming Rule extended to both of us sir?"

The Major stood up and ushered the other two outside, glancing back at the still unmoving McKay. "Ford, send whoever you got to get Gaul and Abrams from the ship. Tell 'em to be careful, just in case. Get them in Jumper Two, us four will take Jumper One back."

"Yes sir," Ford answered, then ran back to the other Jumper.

John turned to Teyla, "We need to make sure this Jumper can actually fly. Which means we have to get McKay up."

Teyla leaned sideways to look past John at the scientist's form. She looked back to John and said, "That may be difficult."

John gave a quick laugh and turned back to the Jumper. He knelt down cautiously beside Rodney. "McKay? You awake?"

"You know Major, that is probably one of the stupidest and most overly-asked questions ever." He said with a straight face, eyes still closed.

Teyla, who was standing behind John, raised an eyebrow, confused once again by Earth culture.

"Probably Doc, but we need you to put this ship back together."

At this, Rodney opened one bloodshot eye and stared at John. He was silent for a minute before answering. "You better be glad there's nothing to push you into Major."

John smiled sweetly. "You bet I am," he said cheerily, not falling for Rodney's apparent bad mood.

Rodney glared at him this time, before giving up and glancing at his surroundings. "Get me up," he huffed to the pair of them.

John and Teyla got him to his feet. Twice. The first time Teyla used a slightly too much force and Rodney ending up falling over onto the floor again. After a string of apologies which Rodney brushed off, he was on his feet again, clapping his hands together and surveying the damage.

He seemed to decide on a starting point, and grabbed on to a shelf to keep himself upright as he wadded over to it. John and Teyla watched as he slotted pieces into different spaces, tutting as he found broken bits and cut wires. John and Teyla worked around him, cleaning up John's attempt at cleaning, passing him various tools and parts they came across.

When Ford returned, the Jumper was fairly tidy again, with most of Rodney's repairs done. The Major and Teyla were standing out of Rodney's way, watching him work. They were too guilty to sit down when Rodney could barely stand up, even though Teyla had suggested John give his ribs a break.

"Sir?" Ford called as he walked into the Jumper. "Marco and Davis have got Jumper Two ready to go. They're waiting on your signal."

John nodded, "Tell 'em to take off." He turned to Rodney. "McKay?"

"Almost. Couple more minutes." He said quietly, closing up a panel and moving on to the last open one.

Ford tapped his radio, "Marco. The Major says you guys can head home now. We'll be out in a few minutes. See you back home. Ford out."

Ford turned his attention back to his friends. Teyla looked her normal self, but concerned for the two yet-again injured men standing in front of her. Even Ford could tell Sheppard was exhausted. And McKay, well it was obvious that he was exhausted, but Ford thought he looked almost depressed.

The last of the repairs only took about three minutes. Teyla stirred back to life when Rodney snapped the panel closed, and nudged John carefully once Rodney was moving around again.

John took a minute to fully wake up from his quick nap. "Excellent Mr. Scotty. We all set for home now?"

Rodney nodded, one of the only movements he was fully capable of, besides walking, albeit stiffly. Ford stepped forward and helped guide him to one of the Jumper's passenger seats. He ended up sitting somewhat haphazardly, slumped in the chair, leaning his head back again.

"Since you were only kidding in the first place Major," he began, tone softened by the absence of snark that was almost always present. "Would you mind taking us back?"

"No problem," John said, patting him lightly on his shoulder on his way to the pilot's chair. "You just sit back and relax."

Ford and Teyla seated themselves in the remaining chairs in the cockpit. Everyone was silent for several minutes, while John got them off the ground and out of the atmosphere easily. Ford waited until he figured McKay had fallen asleep before speaking up.

"There was something different about Gaul's body sir," he stated carefully.

"Different how Lieutenant? He was aged at least thirty years." John replied tiredly.

"But I don't think that's what killed him sir." He paused for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. "It looked like he shot himself sir. Suicide."

John didn't answer, the cabin remained silent.

"He just had to go out with a bang." A soft voice said from behind them. Rodney ignored his unintentional pun. "Knew I wouldn't leave him. Said I'd changed. Told me to save the day."

Ford swiveled his head to look back at the astrophysicist. His eyes were closed, his breathing seemed shallow, and if he hadn't just spoken the Lieutenant would have sworn he was asleep.

Teyla didn't move. She didn't understand. In a galaxy where you had to fight off your own death at every turn, how could someone give up life so easily?

John didn't move. He kept staring straight ahead into the emptiness that surrounded them. He thought it wasn't fair. But they were in another galaxy. Fair didn't mean quite the same thing.

_"Told me to save the day."_

No one said anything. There wasn't much you could say to that.

END

A/N. ... so? No pressure or anything... And thanks for reading, btw. About that universal remote. Not a bad idea actually... Rodney sit. Rodney Stand. Rodney... um, yeah... _Salaud_ is French in case you were wondering. (Pst! The review button is shiny. Just thought you'd like to know...)


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